The Sinner Justified
LESSON 5
❑
Wednesday
Part 4
"And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up
so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his
A PROPER breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
ATTITUDE
"1 tell you, this man went down to his house justified
rather than the other: for everyone that exalteth himself
shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be
Luke 18:13, 14 exalted."
"Two men went to the temple to worship God. One, a Phari-
see, stood with his eyes lifted to heaven and said, "God, I
thank Thee, that I am not as other men are." Verse 11. In
contrast, the other man, a publican, standing "afar off" and
striking his breast in the Oriental manner of showing great
sorrow, cried out, "God be merciful to me a sinner." The
last two words would be better translated "the sinner." He
speaks as though there were no other sinners but he. True
repentance finds no comfort in the fact that there are many
other perhaps greater sinners.
What was God's response to the two prayers? Verse 14.
"The Pharisee disqualified himself from receiving divine
mercy and grace. Self-satisfaction closed the door of his heart
to the rich currents of divine love that brought joy and peace
to the publican. The prayer of the Pharisee was unacceptable
before God, for it was not accompanied with the incense of
the merits of Jesus Christ."—SDA
Bible Commentary,
on Luke
18:14.
How is the craving for righteousness rewarded? Matt. 5:6.
THINK IT THROUGH Is there a danger that some Christians today might think
of themselves as better than other Christians because of
the church they belong to or the position they hold in the
church?
"The sense of need, the recognition
of our poverty and sin, is the very first
condition of acceptance with God.
'Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.' Matt. 5:3."
—"Christ's Object Lessons," page 152.
"But we must have a knowledge of
ourselves, a knowledge that will result
in contrition, before we can find pardon
and peace. The Pharisee felt no convic-
tion of sin. The Holy Spirit could not
work with him. His soul was encased in
a self-righteous armor which the arrows
of God, barbed and true-aimed by an-
gel hands, failed to penetrate. It is
only he who knows himself to be a sin-
ner that Christ can save. He came 'to
heal the broken-hearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recov-
ering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised.' Luke
4:18. But 'they that are whole need not
a physician.' Luke 5:31. We must know
our real condition, or we shall not feel
our need of Christ's help. We must
understand our danger, or we shall not
flee to the refuge. We must feel the pain
of our wounds, or we shall not desire
healing."—"Christ's Object Lessons,"
page 158.
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